Donald Trump orders giant military parade for himself

Trump's desires for a parade were considered a presidential directive following a January 18 meeting between Trump and the military's highest-ranking officials, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the Washington Post reported.

I am greatly concerned by the reports that President Trump is requesting the Defense Department put together a self-aggrandizing military parade. The route would be similar to Trump's inaugural parade, which goes right by the Trump International Hotel in D.C., several outlets pointed out.

The news of Trump's call for a military parade in the USA comes as North Korea plans to show off dozens of long-range missiles during a February 8 parade, sources told North Korea's intentions told CNN last week.

TODD HARRISON: They've said so manytimes how military readiness is being harmed and how they are falling behind in maintenance and training activities, and this does nothing to further the readiness of the military. "We're going to have to try to top it, but we have a lot of planes going over and a lot of military might, and it was really a lovely thing to see, and representatives from different wars and different uniforms".

The Washington Post reported that Trump has expressed interest in such a parade since before he took office but grew more committed when he witnessed the Bastille Day celebration in France, which featured a large military parade. "And I don't think that's been announced".

"I don't know how they're going to promote it or when they're going to suggest it - but we will always be concerned with (the parade's) impact on the city, the impact on safety, pulling personnel, and our roadways, and the attention it would attract", Bowser told Channel 9.

Some lawmakers chafed at the prospective costs. But White House legislative director Marc Short shot back on MSNBC: "I'm not sure honoring the military is a waste of money".

"This is not about a dictatorship".

Congressional Democrats are raising concerns about the possible military spectacle, a date for which, White House officials say, has yet to be solidified.

The Washington parade, dubbed the National Victory Celebration, cost about $12 million (about $21.8 million in today's dollars).

Military parades are unusual but not unprecedented in American history.

The July 14 military parade has been seen as an opportunity for France's armed forces to present themselves to the French people.

"At a time of stress and strain on our military budget, President Trump is proposing a costly parade that would divert needed resources from our military's core missions", Reed said.

And a Republican senator, Lindsey Graham said on CNN that a parade would be "cheesy and shows weakness".

"We need to fund the entire military for the rest of the year".

Overt displays of military weaponry are seldom seen in the US, unlike the Soviet Union's decades-old Red Square celebrations or those in Pyongyang staged in recent years by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

WELNA: But Joe Davis, of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, says it might do the nation good if the parade were held November 11, Veterans Day, which this year marks the centennial of the end of World War I.